Reviews

Capitol/UMe

Ten years ago, Colin Meloy and his merry band of murder balladeers broke out from the indie label circuit with their Capitol Records debut, The Crane Wife. By that point, we all knew The Decemberists as a quirky Portland outfit with a flare for folk-tinged storytelling and a particular appeal to bookish liberal arts majors. More

Fat Possum

American Wrestlers' Goodbye Terrible Youth tackles the most difficult obstacle for any young, lo-fi, "bedroom pop" act: learning how to make your sound bigger and clearer without sanding off any of the appealingly rough edges. More

Merge

Kurt Wagner's ever-reliable Nashville outfit Lambchop hasn't been heard from since 2012's Mr. M, but last year Wagner and a couple buddies got together to release an excellent, subdued electronic album under the name HeCTA. More

4AD

Tampa, Florida rock band Merchandise's new album A Corpse Wired for Sound is relentlessly minor-key and contains more than enough moaning about personal failures and relationships ending. However, it's also dynamic and poetic, with better songwriting and production values than the band has yet achieved. More

Glassnote

Even though Donald Glover's been in the spotlight for nearly a decade now, trespassing across careers in comedy, writing, and music, he is only now really discovering his voice. This year saw the release of his fantastic FX series Atlanta, and in many ways his third record as Childish Gambino, "Awaken, My Love!," was crafted with the same unconventional creative spirit. More

Polyvinyl

STRFKR hits cosmic heights—quite literally—on its psychedelic/celestial fourth album, Being No One, Going Nowhere. In the last decade or so, the Portland group has been unsuccessful in maintaining a low profile. More

No World Recordings

The Aged brothers, who are the duo behind inc. no world, are known for their stellar musicianship and soft, soulful touch. On As Light As Light, the duo's second full-length, the first on their own No World Recordings, they pull back from the studio experimentation that coupled with their performance made their 2013 debut, No World (released under the name inc.), interesting. More